Encrypted file storage

ABSTRACT

Various systems facilitate encrypted file storage. A client device may generate an encrypted version of a file. The client device may obtain at least one reference to at least one storage location for the encrypted version of the file. The client device may cause the encrypted version of the file to be store at the at least one storage location using the at least one reference to the at least one storage location.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/055,847, entitled “ENCRYPTED FILESTORAGE,” filed Feb. 29, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/727,909, entitled “ENCRYPTED FILE STORAGE,” andfiled Jun. 2, 2015, both of which are hereby incorporated by referencein their entireties.

BACKGROUND

Some data storage providers operate data centers where data storage isallocated for several users. A user may store and retrieve data, such asimages, videos, and word processing documents, using one or more clientdevices that communicate with a data storage system over a network. Thedata storage provider may charge a fee to the user based on the amountof data being stored by the data storage system and/or the number oftimes that the user accesses the stored data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood withreference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings arenot necessarily to scale, with emphasis instead being placed uponclearly illustrating the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in thedrawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a drawing of a networked environment according to variousembodiments.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of functionalityimplemented by a file management application in a client device of thenetworked environment of FIG. 1 according to various embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of functionalityimplemented by an index service in an enterprise computing environmentof FIG. 1 according to various embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating another example of functionalityimplemented by the file management application in the client device ofthe networked environment of FIG. 1 according to various embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating another example of functionalityimplemented by the index service in the enterprise computing environmentof FIG. 1 according to various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to storing and retrieving encryptedversions of files using data storage systems that are accessible toclient devices over a network. In one non-limiting example, a filemanagement application executing on a client device transmits to anindex service a request to store a file at a remote data store. The datastore may be provided by an entity that is not controlled by the user ofthe client device and/or the operator of the device management system(e.g., a public cloud storage provider). If the device management systemauthorizes the requested storage, the client device may obtain areference to a storage location for the file, and the reference may bestored by the index service for later use. The reference to the storagelocation may, for example, indicate a particular path of a file systemhierarchy where the file management application should cause anencrypted version of the file to be stored. The client device mayencrypt the file and transmit the encryption key to the devicemanagement system for later use. Additionally, the client device maytransfer the encrypted version of the file to the data storage systemand cause the encrypted version of the file to be stored at the locationindicated by the received reference.

In one example, the index server is trusted by the client device, whilethe remote data store is untrusted. In this regard, the index server isoperated in accordance with security protocols that the entity and/oroperator of the device management system approves, while the entityand/or operator of the device management system may have little to nocontrol over the security protocols used by the remote data store. Theindex server may be hosted by an organization to which a user of theclient device belongs to, or by a trusted partner. The remote data storemay be offered by a public cloud data storage provider, wherein data forthe user of the client device is stored along with data belonging toother users and organizations. In addition, an administrator at thepublic cloud data storage provider will generally have access to thesystems where data for the user of the client device is stored.

Later, the client device may transmit to the index service a request toretrieve the encrypted version of the file. In response, the indexservice may provide the client device with a reference to the storagelocation of the encrypted version of the file in the remote data storeas well as the corresponding encryption key. The client device may thencommunicate with the data storage system and use the reference to thestorage location to retrieve the encrypted version of the file.Thereafter, the client device may decrypt the encrypted version of thefile using the encryption key. Thus, embodiments of the presentdisclosure may provide a mechanism for a client device to store files ata remote data store that is operated by an untrusted third party whileproviding the index service a way to monitor and restrict access to thestored files.

With reference to FIG. 1, shown is a networked environment 100 accordingto various embodiments. The networked environment 100 shown in FIG. 1includes an enterprise computing environment 103, a client device 106, astorage provider computing environment 109, and potentially othercomponents, which are in data communication with each other over anetwork 113. The network 113 includes, for example, the Internet, one ormore intranets, extranets, wide area networks (WANs), local areanetworks (LANs), wired networks, wireless networks, other suitablenetworks, or any combination of two or more such networks. Such networksmay comprise satellite networks, cable networks, Ethernet networks,telephony networks, and/or other types of networks.

The enterprise computing environment 103 may comprise, for example, aserver computer or any other system providing computing capabilities.Alternatively, the enterprise computing environment 103 may employmultiple computing devices that may be arranged, for example, in one ormore server banks, computer banks, or other arrangements. Such computingdevices may be located in a single installation or may be distributedamong many different geographical locations. For example, the enterprisecomputing environment 103 may include multiple computing devices thattogether form a hosted computing resource, a grid computing resource,and/or any other distributed computing arrangement. In some cases, theenterprise computing environment 103 may operate as at least a portionof an elastic computing resource where the allotted capacity ofprocessing, network, storage, or other computing-related resources mayvary over time. The enterprise computing environment 103 may alsoinclude or be operated as one or more virtualized computer instancesthat are executed in order to perform the functionality that isdescribed herein. Generally, the enterprise computing environment 103 isoperated in accordance with particular security protocols such that itis considered a trusted computing environment.

Various systems may be executed in the enterprise computing environment103. Also, various data is stored in an enterprise data store 116 thatis accessible to the enterprise computing environment 103. Theenterprise data store 116 shown in FIG. 1 may be representative ofmultiple enterprise data stores 116. The data stored in the enterprisedata store 116 is associated with the operation of the variouscomponents described below.

A device management system 119 and/or other systems may be executed inthe enterprise computing environment 103. The device management system119 may be executed to manage and/or oversee the operation of multipleclient devices 106. In some embodiments, an enterprise, such as one ormore companies or other organizations, may operate the device managementsystem 119 to oversee and/or manage the operation of the client devices106 of its employees, contractors, customers, etc. Accordingly, thedevice management system 119 is considered a trusted system.

The device management system 119 may include a management console 123,an index service 126, and/or other components. The management console123 may facilitate administration of devices of an enterprise byadministrators via the device management system 119. For example, themanagement console 123 may generate one or more user interfaces that arerendered on a display device to facilitate interaction with the devicemanagement system 119. Such user interfaces may facilitate anadministrator's inputting of commands or other information for thedevice management system 119. Additionally, the user interfaces mayinclude presentations of statistics or other information regarding theclient devices 106 that are managed by the device management system 119.

The index service 126 may obtain and store various information regardingfiles that are associated with one or more client devices 106 and/or thedevice management system 119. For example, the index service 126 maytrack file activity and store information regarding the locations,encryption keys, permissions (e.g., access rights), the file version,access history, and/or other information of files. Because the indexservice 126 is operated in conjunction with the device management system119, the index service 126 is considered a trusted file index server.

The data stored in the enterprise data store 116 may include index data129, managed device data 133, and/or other information. The index data129 may include an entry 136 for each file for which the index service126 obtains data. In some embodiments, an entry 136 may include datathat represents, for example, a unique identifier, the location, anencryption key, permissions, the file version, access history, and/orother information for a particular file.

The managed device data 133 may include information regarding the clientdevices 106 that are managed and/or controlled by the device managementsystem 119. The managed device data 133 for a particular client device106 may include, for example, the identification of a user assigned tothe client device 106, the identification of applications that areinstalled in the client device 106, historical data regarding theoperation of the client device 106, and/or other information.

In addition, the managed device data 133 for a particular client device106 may include one or more device profiles. A device profile maycomprise a set of one or more compliance rules that may be specified bythe device management system 119. Each compliance rule may specify oneor more conditions that must be satisfied for a client device 106 to bedeemed compliant with the compliance rule. As a non-limiting example, acompliance rule may specify that particular applications are prohibitedfrom being installed on a client device 106. As another non-limitingexample, a compliance rule may specify that a lock screen is required tobe generated when the client device 106 is “awoken” from a low power(e.g., “sleep”) state and that a passcode is required for a user tounlock the lock screen. Additionally, one or more compliance rules maybe based on time, geographical location, and/or other predefinedconditions. When the compliance rules for a particular device profileare satisfied, the device management system 119 may deem thecorresponding client device 106 as being compliant with the devicepolicy.

The client device 106 is representative of multiple client devices 106that may be coupled to the network 113. The client device 106 maycomprise, for example, a processor-based system such as a computersystem. Such a computer system may be embodied in the form of a desktopcomputer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, a mobilephone (e.g., a “smartphone”), a set-top box, a music player, a web pad,a tablet computer system, a game console, an electronic book reader, orany other device with like capability. The client device 106 may includea display as well as one or more input devices, such as a mouse, touchpad, etc., that facilitates a user input or other types of data inputinto the client device 106.

The client device 106 may be configured to execute a file managementapplication 139, a management component 143, and/or other components.The file management application 139 may comprise, for example, one ormore programs that access, manage, edit, and/or perform other functionswith respect to files. As non-limiting examples, a file may include animage, a video, a word processing document, a spreadsheet, etc. In someembodiments, the file management application 139 may be regarded asbeing a “content locker,” because the file management application 139may cause access to one or more of the files to be restricted. The filemanagement application 139 may generate one or more user interfaces thatfacilitate a user of the client device 106 being presented with theinformation that is represented in files. For example, the filemanagement application 139 may render files, such as images, videos,etc. In addition, one or more user interfaces for the file managementapplication 139 may facilitate a user editing the content of a file,such as a word processing document, spreadsheet, image, etc. Inaddition, one or more user interfaces for the file managementapplication 139 may facilitate a user causing a file to be provided toother client devices 106, the device management system 119, or othersystems.

The management component 143 may be executed in the client device 106 tomonitor and/or manage at least a portion of the data, applications,hardware components, etc., for the client device 106. The managementcomponent 143 may also identify whether the client device 106 isoperating in accordance with the one or more compliance rules for one ormore device profiles that have been assigned to the client device 106.In some embodiments, the management component 143 may function as adevice management service that operates as a portion of an operatingsystem for the client device 106. In other embodiments, the managementcomponent 143 may function as a device management agent that operates inthe application layer of the client device 106 and that monitors atleast some of the activity being performed in the client device 106. Inother embodiments, the management component 143 may comprise anapplication wrapper that interfaces with a software component tofacilitate overseeing, monitoring, and/or managing one or more resourcesof the client device 106. Alternatively, the management component 143may be a portion of an application that was developed, for example,using a Software Development Kit (SDK) that facilitates the inclusion offunctionality within the application that monitors and/or manages atleast a portion of the resources for the client device 106.

The management component 143 may be executed by the client device 106automatically upon startup of the client device 106. Additionally, themanagement component 143 may run as a background process in the clientdevice 106. Accordingly, the management component 143 may executewithout user intervention in some embodiments. Additionally, themanagement component 143 may communicate with the device managementsystem 119 in order to facilitate the device management system 119managing the client device 106. For example, the management component143 may obtain compliance rules from the device management system 119,and the management component 143 may determine whether the client device106 is operating in accordance with those compliance rules. In anotherexample, the management component 143 transmits data that indicates thestatus of settings for the client device 106, and the device managementsystem 119 uses this data to determine whether the client device 106 isoperating in accordance with compliance rules. If it is determined thatthe client device 106 is not in compliance with one or more compliancerules, the management component 143 or the device management system 119causes a remedial action to be performed. Examples of remedial actionsinclude, notifying a user of the device or an administrator of thedevice management system 119, causing device settings to be changed sothat the client device 106 becomes compliant with the compliance rules,and wiping data in the client device 106.

The storage provider computing environment 109 may comprise, forexample, a server computer or any other system providing computingcapabilities. Alternatively, the storage provider computing environment109 may employ multiple computing devices that may be arranged, forexample, in one or more server banks, computer banks, or otherarrangements. Such computing devices may be located in a singleinstallation or may be distributed among many different geographicallocations. For example, the storage provider computing environment 109may include multiple computing devices that together form a hostedcomputing resource, a grid computing resource, and/or any otherdistributed computing arrangement. In some cases, the storage providercomputing environment 109 may operate as at least a portion of anelastic computing resource where the allotted capacity of processing,network, storage, or other computing-related resources may vary overtime. The storage provider computing environment 109 may also include orbe operated as one or more virtualized computer instances that areexecuted in order to perform the functionality that is described herein.

The storage provider computing environment 109 may be operated by anentity that is a third party relative to the user of the client device106 and/or the entity that operates the enterprise computing environment103. The storage provider may be a public cloud provider offering datastorage to the public as a service for fee. In other words, the storageprovider may provide data storage for multiple users and entities,including the users of the client devices 106 and/or the entity thatoperates the enterprise computing environment 103. A user of a clientdevice 106 and/or the entity that operates the enterprise computingenvironment 103 may enroll in the data storage service. In one example,the storage provider computing environment 109 is untrusted by theentity that operates the enterprise computing environment 103. This isbecause it stores data for the user of the client device 106 along withdata belonging to other users and organizations, and also because anadministrator at the storage provider computing environment 109 willgenerally have access to the systems where data for the user of theclient device 106 is stored.

Various systems may be executed in the storage provider computingenvironment 109. Also, various data is stored in a storage provider datastore 146 that is accessible to the enterprise computing environment103. The storage provider data store 146 shown in FIG. 1 may berepresentative of multiple storage provider data stores 146. The storageprovider data store 146 may store files and/or other data for severalusers.

A data storage system 149 and/or other systems may be executed in thestorage provider computing environment 109. The data storage system 149may facilitate and manage the storage of data in the storage providerdata store 146. For example, the data storage system 149 may provide anapplication protocol interface (API) and/or any other suitable interfacethat facilitates communication between the data storage system 149 andthe client device 106 and/or device management system 119. In addition,the data storage system 149 may authenticate requests to store and/orretrieve data. Additionally, the data storage system 149 may performload balancing processes to facilitate the transfer of data between thestorage provider data store 146 and other components, for example.

Next, a description of examples of the operation of the variouscomponents in the networked environment 100 is provided. To begin, theuser of the client device 106 and/or the entity that operates theenterprise computing environment 103 may enroll for data storage serviceto be provided by the storage provider computing environment 109. Duringthe enrollment process, access credentials, such as a username andpassword, may be generated for the client device 106 and/or the devicemanagement system 119 to communicate with the data storage system 149.In some embodiments, the user of the client device 106 may enroll for apersonal account with the data storage system 149, and the client device106 may provide the device management system 119 with the accesscredentials for the data storage system 149 for later use. Inalternative embodiments, the enterprise that operates the enterprisecomputing environment 103 may enroll for an enterprise account with thedata storage system 149, and the device management system 119 may storethe access credentials in the enterprise data store 116 for later use.

Later, the file management application 139 may be used to create a file,access a file, edit a file, and/or perform other functions with respectto a file. For example, the file management application 139 may be usedto create a word processing document, access a video that is stored inthe client device 106, and/or edit an image that is stored in the clientdevice 106.

The file management application 139 may initiate the process of storingan encrypted version of a file in a storage provider data store 146 forvarious reasons. For example, in some embodiments, the file managementapplication 139 may initiate the process in response to a request fromthe user of the client device 106 to “save” the file. In anotherembodiment, the process may be initiated in response to a user of theclient device 106 requesting to “share” the file with another user. Inalternative embodiments, a storage provider data store 146 may be thedefault storage used by the file management application 139, and thefile management application 139 may initiate the process of storing anencrypted version of the file in a storage provider data store 146automatically in response to the file being created or saved.

Upon determining that an encrypted version of a file is to be stored ina storage provider data store 146, the client device 106 may beginencrypting the file. In some embodiments, the encryption key and/orencryption algorithm used by the client device 106 may be specified bythe index service 126. In an alternative embodiment, the client device106 may transmit the file to the index service 126 for the encryption tobe performed by the index service 126, instead of the client device 106encrypting the file.

Once an encrypted version of the file has been generated, the filemanagement application 139 may cause the client device 106 to obtain areference to the storage location where the encrypted file is to bestored. Such a reference may indicate, for example, a path of a filesystem hierarchy where the file will be stored. The reference maycomprise, for example, a string that represents a hypertext transferprotocol (HTTP) uniform resource locator (URL) or a HTTP secure (HTTPS)URL. The data storage system 149 in various embodiments may be operableto translate such a HTTP or HTTPS URL into information that represents astorage location for the storage provider data store 146.

In one embodiment, the client device 106 may communicate with the datastorage system 149 to obtain the reference to the storage location. Forexample, the file management application 139 may communicate with thedata storage system 149 using an API provided by the storage providercomputing environment 109 and select a particular storage location amongmultiple storage locations. In an alternative embodiment, the filemanagement application 139 may communicate with the data storage system149 using an API, and the data storage system 149 may specify thestorage location for the file, for example, after the file has beenstored in the storage provider data store 146. In other embodiments, theindex service 126 may communicate with the data storage system 149 toobtain a reference to a storage location, and the index service 126 maystore the reference in the index data 129 and/or transmit the obtainedreference to the client device 106.

After the encrypted file has been generated and the reference to thestorage location has been obtained, the file management application 139may cause the encrypted file to be stored at the location indicated bythe reference. In one embodiment, the file management application 139may communicate with the data storage system 149 using an API providedby the storage provider computing environment 109 and transfer theencrypted file to the data storage system 149. For example, the filemanagement application 139 may transmit access credentials (e.g., ausername and password), the reference to where the encrypted file shouldbe stored (e.g., a string indicative of a path of a file systemhierarchy), data that represents the encrypted file, and/or otherinformation to the data storage system 149. In another embodiment, theindex service 126 may communicate with the data storage system 149 andtransfer the encrypted file to the data storage system 149.

When the data storage system 149 receives the encrypted file, the datastorage system 149 may store the file in the storage provider data store146 among other files for other users that have enrolled with the datastorage service provided by the storage provider computing environment109. Because the stored file is encrypted and the encryption key isunavailable to the data storage system 149, the content of the file maybe unintelligible to the data storage system 149. In addition, if thestorage provider computing environment 109 is accessed by anunauthorized device, the content of the file may be unintelligible tothe unauthorized device. Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure mayprevent files from being subjected to access that is not authorized bythe device management system 119.

In addition, after the file has been encrypted, the client device 106and/or the index service 126 may discard the encryption key so that theclient device 106 and/or the device management system 119 may not beable to decrypt the file until the encryption key is obtained at a latertime. For example, after the client device 106 has encrypted a file andtransmitted the encryption key to the device management system 119, theclient device 106 may discard the encryption key. By doing so, theclient device 106 may be unable to decrypt the file until the indexservice 126 provides the client device 106 with the encryption key. Inalternative embodiments, the index service 126 may discard theencryption key, and the client device 106 may provide the encryption keyfor the index service 126 at a later time for decryption.

For each file that the client device 106 causes to be stored at thestorage provider data store 146, the index service 126 may create anentry 136 in the index data 129. Each entry 136 may include, forexample, a unique identifier for the file, the encryption key, theencryption algorithm used for the file, metadata, permissions, the fileversion, access history, and/or other information. The index service 126may use the collected index data 129 to facilitate restricted access tofiles that are associated with the device management system 119. Inaddition, the index service 126 may be used to track and monitoractivity regarding these files.

The file management application 139 may also be used to retrieve anencrypted file that is stored in the storage provider data store 146. Anencrypted file may be retrieved by the client device 106 for variousreasons. For example, the retrieval of a file may be initiated inresponse to a user operating the file management application 139 oranother application in the client device 106 requesting to “open” afile.

To begin the file retrieval process, the file management application 139may cause the client device 106 to retrieve the reference to the storagelocation where a particular file is stored. For example, the clientdevice 106 may transmit a request to the index service 126 for thereference to where a particular file is stored. For instance, such arequest may include an identifier for the file, the identity of theclient device 106 and/or user, data that indicates that the filemanagement application 139 is requesting the reference to the storagelocation, and/or other information.

In response to the request, the index service 126 may authenticate therequest, consult the index data 129, and identify the entry 136 thatcorresponds to the file. As previously discussed, the reference for thestorage location of a file may be stored in the entry 136 thatcorresponds to the file. In some embodiments, the index service 126 mayalso consult the index data 129 to identify whether the entry 136indicates that the client device 106 is authorized to retrieve thereference to the storage location of the file. If the client device 106is authorized to retrieve the reference, the device management system119 may transmit the reference to the client device 106.

After the client device 106 has obtained the reference to the storagelocation, the file management application 139 may communicate with thedata storage system 149 and retrieve the encrypted file from the datastorage system 149. In some embodiments, the file management application139 may request the file by transmitting access credentials (e.g., ausername and password), a file identifier, the reference to where theencrypted file is stored (e.g., a string indicative of a path of a filesystem hierarchy), and/or other information using an API provided by thedata storage system 149. If the file is stored in a personal account ofthe data storage system 149, the access credentials used by the clientdevice 106 may be the access credentials of the user of the clientdevice 106. If the file is stored in an enterprise account, the devicemanagement system 119 may provide the client device 106 with enterpriseaccess credentials for retrieving the file.

Upon receiving and authenticating the request, the data storage system149 may identify and transfer the requested file to the client device106. In other embodiments, the index service 126 may perform thefunctionality of retrieving the encrypted file from the storage providerdata store 146 and may then transfer the retrieved file to the clientdevice 106.

After the client device 106 has retrieved the encrypted file from thedata storage system 149, the file management application 139 may causethe client device 106 to decrypt the file using the correspondingencryption key. In some embodiments, the encryption key may already bestored in storage that is local to the client device 106. In otherembodiments, the file management application 139 may request theencryption key from the index service 126. In response to the request,the index service 126 may retrieve the encryption key from thecorresponding entry 136 in the index data 129 and transmit theencryption key to the client device 106. In other embodiments, theclient device 106 may provide the encrypted file to the index service126 for the index service 126 to perform the decryption. Because it maybe difficult for the client device 106 or other devices to decrypt thefile without the encryption key, access to the content in the encryptedfile may be restricted by virtue of the restricted access to theencryption key.

In some embodiments, a user of the client device 106 may “share” a filewith another user of another client device 106. To do so, the clientdevice 106 of the sharing user may request that the index service 126modify the permissions in the entry 136 for the file to indicate thatthe user of the other client device 106 is permitted to retrieve thefile, and the client device 106 of the other user may retrieve the fileusing one or more of the mechanisms that are described above. In oneexample, the client device 106 of a sharing user provides the identityof the file to the client device 106 of a colleague, and the colleague'sclient device 106 retrieves from the index service 126 the reference tothe storage location for the file. After the colleague's client device106 has obtained the reference to the storage location, the colleague'sclient device 106 communicates with the data storage system 149 andretrieves the encrypted file from the data storage system 149. Thecolleague's client device 106 also retrieves the correspondingencryption key from the index service 126, so that the encrypted filemay be decrypted when the encrypted file has been obtained by thecolleague's client device 106.

In some embodiments, prior to storing the file in the storage providerdata store 146, the client device 106 may partition a file into multipleportions and then encrypt each portion of the file. As a non-limitingexample, the file may be partitioned so that all even-numbered bytes aregrouped into a first file portion and all even-numbered bytes aregrouped into a second file portion. Each portion of the file may beencrypted using a respective encryption key and/or a respectiveencryption algorithm. As a non-limiting example, the first file portionmay be encrypted using a first encryption key and a first encryptionalgorithm, and a second file portion may be encrypted using a secondencryption key and a second encryption algorithm.

For embodiments in which the file is partitioned into multiple portions,the file management application 139 may also cause the client device 106to obtain one or more references to one or more storage locations forthe file. For example, the client device 106 may retrieve a firstreference to a first storage location for a first portion of the fileand a second reference to a second location for a second portion of thefile. Using one or more of the mechanisms for storing an encrypted filethat are discussed above, the client device 106 may cause the firstencrypted portion of the file to be stored at the storage locationindicated by the first reference, and the second encrypted portion ofthe file may be stored at the storage location indicated by the secondreference. In some embodiments, the encrypted portions of a file may bestored in multiple storage provider data stores 146 that are provided bymultiple storage provider computing environments 109. As an example, afirst encrypted portion of a file may be stored in a storage providerdata store 146 that is operated by a first organization and a secondencrypted portion of a file may be stored in a storage provider datastore 146 that is operated by a second organization. Storing encryptedportions of a file in storage provider data stores 146 that are operatedby multiple organizations may further restrict unauthorized access tothe file.

As discussed above, the index service 126 may track the storage andretrieval of the files that are represented in the index data 129. Forexample, the index service 126 may log the storage and/or retrieval of afile in the corresponding entries 136 for files in the index data 129.At various times, the index service 126 may communicate with the datastorage system 149 and obtain the file activity history of one or moreof the encrypted files that are associated with the index services 126.The index service 126 may compare the file activity history obtainedfrom the data storage system 149 with the data stored in the entry 136for the file and identify whether there are any inconsistencies betweenthe sets of data. For example, if the file activity history from thedata storage system 149 indicates that an encrypted file has beenretrieved more times than the number of times logged by the indexservice 126, the index services 126 may conclude that the encrypted filehas been subjected to an unauthorized access and take remedial action.

With reference to FIG. 2, shown is a flowchart that provides an exampleof a portion of the operation of the file management application 139according to various embodiments. In particular, FIG. 2 provides anexample of the file management application 139 causing an encryptedversion of a file to be stored at one or more storage locations of oneor more storage provider data stores 146 (FIG. 1). It is understood thatthe flowchart of FIG. 2 provides merely an example of the many differenttypes of functional arrangements that may be employed to implement theoperation of the portion of the operation of the file managementapplication 139 as described herein. As an alternative, the flowchart ofFIG. 2 may be viewed as depicting an example of elements of a methodimplemented in the client device 106 (FIG. 1) according to one or moreembodiments.

Beginning with element 203, the file management application 139 obtainsa request to store a file in one or more storage provider data stores146. In some embodiments, the request may be initiated by a user of theclient device 106 requesting to save a file. The file managementapplication 139 then transmits data for the file to the index service126, as shown at element 206. Such data may include, for example, afilename, file characteristics (e.g., file size), file permissions,metadata, and/or other information. This information may be stored in anentry 136 in the index data 129 by the index service 126. At element209, the file management application 139 obtains one or more encryptionkeys for the file. In some embodiments, the encryption key may beobtained from the index service 126. In other embodiments, theencryption key may be obtained from local storage in the client device106.

The file management application 139 then moves to element 213 anddetermines whether to partition the file for storage. In someembodiments, the file management application 139 may be instructed bythe index service 126 to partition the file. As discussed above, thefile may be partitioned in order to store separate encrypted portions indifferent storage locations. If the file management application 139determines to partition the file, the file management application 139performs the partitioning, as indicated at element 216. Otherwise, thefile management application 139 moves to element 219.

As shown at element 219, the file is then encrypted using the one ormore encryption keys that were obtained at element 209. In someembodiments, the index service 126 may also specify one or moreencryption algorithms to use when generating the encrypted version ofthe file. At element 223, the file management application 139 causes theclient device 106 to transmit the one or more encryption keys that wereused to encrypt the file to the index service 126. The index service 126may store the one or more encryption keys in the corresponding entry 136in the index data 129 for the file.

As shown at element 226, the file management application 139 thenobtains one or more references to the one or more storage locationswhere the encrypted version of the file is to be stored. In oneembodiment, the client device 106 may communicate with one or more datastorage systems 149 to obtain the one or more references using an APIthat is provided by the storage provider computing environment 109 (FIG.1). In other embodiments, the index service 126 may obtain the one ormore references from one or more data storage systems 149 using an APIand then provide the one or more references to the client device 106.

At element 229, the file management application 139 causes the encryptedversion of the file to be stored at the one or more storage locationsindicated by the one or more references that were received at element226. In one embodiment, the encrypted version of the file is stored bythe file management application 139 transmitting access credentials(e.g., a username and password), the reference to where the encryptedfile should be stored (e.g., a string indicative of a path of a filesystem hierarchy), data that represents the encrypted version of thefile, and/or other information to the data storage system 149. Inanother embodiment, the client device 106 provides the encrypted versionof the file to the index service 126, and the index service 126communicates with the data storage system 149 to have the file stored.Thereafter, the process ends.

With reference to FIG. 3, shown is a flowchart that provides an exampleof a portion of the operation of the index service 126 according tovarious embodiments. In particular, FIG. 3 provides an example of theindex service 126 creating an entry 136 (FIG. 1) in the index data 129for a file that a client device 106 (FIG. 1) is causing to be stored ata storage provider data store 146. It is understood that the flowchartof FIG. 3 provides merely an example of the many different types offunctional arrangements that may be employed to implement the portion ofthe operation of the index service 126 as described herein. As analternative, the flowchart of FIG. 3 may be viewed as depicting anexample of elements of a method implemented in the device managementsystem 119 (FIG. 1) according to one or more embodiments.

Beginning at element 303, the index service 126 obtains a notificationthat a file is to be stored in one or more storage provider data stores146 (FIG. 1). At element 306, the index service 126 obtains data for thefile from the client device 106. Such data may include, for example, anidentifier for the file, metadata, permissions, the file version, and/orother information. At element 309, the index service 126 creates anentry 136 in the index data 129 for the file, and at element 313 thedata that was obtained at element 306 is stored in the entry 136.

The index service 126 then moves to element 316 and obtains from theclient device 106 one or more encryption keys that were used to encryptthe file. The index service 126 then stores the one or more encryptionkeys in the entry 136 in the index data 129, as shown at element 319.

At element 323, the index service 126 obtains one or more references tothe one or more storage locations where the encrypted version of thefile is or will be stored. In one embodiment, the index service 126obtains the one or more references from one or more data storage systems149. In an alternative embodiment, the index service 126 obtains the oneor more references from the client device 106. As indicated at element326, the index service 126 then stores the one or more references to theone or more storage locations in the entry 136 in the index data 129.Thereafter, the process ends.

With reference to FIG. 4, shown is a flowchart that provides an exampleof a portion of the operation of the file management application 139according to various embodiments. In particular, FIG. 4 provides anexample of the file management application 139 obtaining an encryptedfile from one or more storage provider data stores 146 and thendecrypting the file. It is understood that the flowchart of FIG. 2provides merely an example of the many different types of functionalarrangements that may be employed to implement the portion of theoperation of the file management application 139 as described herein. Asan alternative, the flowchart of FIG. 4 may be viewed as depicting anexample of elements of a method implemented in the client device 106(FIG. 1) according to one or more embodiments.

Beginning at element 403, the file management application 139 causes theclient device 106 to obtain a request to access a file. For example, therequest may be obtained in response to a user of the client device 106requesting to “open” a file. At element 406, the file managementapplication 139 causes the client device 106 to transmit a request tothe index service 126 (FIG. 1) for the one or more references to the oneor more storage locations where the file is located. As previouslydiscussed, the index service 126 may have this information stored in anentry 136 in the index data 129. The file management application 139 maythen cause the client device 106 to obtain the reference, as shown atelement 409.

As indicated at element 413, the file management application 139 thenuses the obtained one or more references to obtain the encrypted versionof the file from the one or more locations. In some embodiments, thefile management application 139 may request the file by transmittingaccess credentials (e.g., a username and password), a file identifier,the reference to where the encrypted file is stored (e.g., a stringindicative of a path of a file system hierarchy), and/or otherinformation using an API provided by the data storage system 149. If thefile is stored in a personal account of the data storage system 149, theaccess credentials used by the client device 106 may be the accesscredentials of the user of the client device 106. If the file is storedin an enterprise account, the device management system 119 may providethe client device 106 with enterprise access credentials for retrievingthe file.

The file management application 139 then moves to element 416 and causesthe client device 106 to transmit a request to the device managementsystem 119 for the one or more encryption keys for the file. The filemanagement application 139 obtains the one or more encryption keys, asshown at element 419, and then decrypts the file using the obtainedencryption keys, as indicated at element 423. Thereafter, the processends.

With reference to FIG. 5, shown is a flowchart that provides an exampleof a portion of the operation of the index service 126 according tovarious embodiments. In particular, FIG. 5 provides an example of theindex service 126 providing one or more encryption keys to a clientdevice 106 (FIG. 1) in response to a request for the client device 106to access a file. It is understood that the flowchart of FIG. 5 providesmerely an example of the many different types of functional arrangementsthat may be employed to implement the portion of the operation of theindex service 126 as described herein. As an alternative, the flowchartof FIG. 5 may be viewed as depicting an example of elements of a methodimplemented in the device management system 119 according to one or moreembodiments.

Beginning at element 503, the index service 126 obtains a request forthe client device 106 to access a file that is indexed in the index data129. At element 506, the index service 126 locates the entry 136 in theindex data 129 for the requested file. As discussed above, the entry 136may include one or more references to one or more storage locations forthe file. As shown at element 509, the index service 126 then transmitsto the client device 106 the one or more references to the one or morestorage locations for the file. In addition, the index service 126transmits to the client device 106 the one or more encryption keys forthe file. Thereafter, the process ends.

The flowcharts of FIGS. 2-5 show examples of the functionality andoperation of implementations of components described herein. Thecomponents described herein can be embodied in hardware, software, or acombination of hardware and software. If embodied in software, eachelement may represent a module of code or a portion of code thatcomprises program instructions to implement the specified logicalfunction(s). The program instructions may be embodied in the form of,for example, source code that comprises human-readable statementswritten in a programming language and/or machine code that comprisesmachine instructions recognizable by a suitable execution system, suchas a processor in a computer system or other system. If embodied inhardware, each element may represent a circuit or a number ofinterconnected circuits that implement the specified logicalfunction(s).

Although the flowcharts show a specific order of execution, it isunderstood that the order of execution may differ from that which isshown. For example, the order of execution of two or more elements maybe switched relative to the order shown. Also, two or more elementsshown in succession may be executed concurrently or with partialconcurrence. Further, in some embodiments, one or more of the elementsshown in the flowcharts may be skipped or omitted. In addition, anynumber of counters, state variables, warning semaphores, or messagesmight be added to the logical flow described herein, for purposes ofenhanced utility, accounting, performance measurement, troubleshootingaid, etc. It is understood that all such variations are within the scopeof the present disclosure.

The enterprise computing environment 103, the client device 106, thestorage provider computing environment 109, and/or other componentsdescribed herein may each include at least one processing circuit. Sucha processing circuit may comprise, for example, one or more processorsand one or more storage devices that are coupled to a local interface.The local interface may comprise, for example, a data bus with anaccompanying address/control bus or any other suitable bus structure.

The one or more storage devices for a processing circuit may store dataand/or components that are executable by the one or more processors ofthe processing circuit. For example, the device management system 119,the file management application 139, the data storage system 149, and/orother components may be stored in one or more storage devices and beexecutable by one or more processors. Also, a data store, such as theenterprise data store 116 and/or the storage provider data store 146,may be stored in the one or more storage devices.

The device management system 119, the file management application 139,the data storage system 149, and/or other components described hereinmay be embodied in the form of hardware, as software components that areexecutable by hardware, or as a combination of software and hardware. Ifembodied as hardware, the components described herein can be implementedas a circuit or state machine that employs any suitable hardwaretechnology. Such hardware technology may include, for example but is notlimited to, one or more microprocessors, discrete logic circuits havinglogic gates for implementing various logic functions upon an applicationof one or more data signals, application specific integrated circuits(ASICs) having appropriate logic gates, programmable logic devices(e.g., field-programmable gate array (FPGAs) and complex programmablelogic devices (CPLDs)), etc.

Also, one or more or more of the components described herein thatcomprise software or program instructions can be embodied in anynon-transitory computer-readable medium for use by or in connection withan instruction execution system such as, for example, a processor in acomputer system or other system. Such a computer-readable medium maycontain, store, and/or maintain the software or program instructions foruse by or in connection with the instruction execution system.

A computer-readable medium can comprise a physical media, such as,magnetic, optical, semiconductor, and/or other suitable media. Examplesof a suitable computer-readable media include, but are not limited to,solid-state drives, magnetic drives, flash memory, etc. Further, anylogic or component described herein may be implemented and structured ina variety of ways. For example, one or more components described may beimplemented as modules or components of a single application. Further,one or more components described herein may be executed in one computingdevice or by using multiple computing devices. Additionally, it isunderstood that terms, such as “application,” “service,” “system,”“engine,” “module,” and so on, may be interchangeable and are notintended to be limiting unless indicated otherwise.

It is emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the presentdisclosure are merely examples of implementations to set forth for aclear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Many variationsand modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments withoutdeparting substantially from the spirit and principles of thedisclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to beincluded herein within the scope of this disclosure.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of storing files that areassociated with a user account in at least one cloud data storageprovider, comprising: receiving, by an index server, a request to storea first file on behalf of a user associated with access credentials ofthe user account, the request being received from a client deviceexecuting a file management application that communicates with the indexserver; identifying, by the index server, a first storage location ofthe first file associated with a cloud data storage provider that isdifferent from the index server; and providing, by the index server, thefirst storage location to the file management application, the firststorage location specifying where to send an encrypted version of thefirst file, the encryption being based on a first key associated withthe first storage location of the first file, the first key beingdifferent than the access credentials for the cloud data storageprovider.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, atthe index server, a request from the client device to access the file;determining the client device is authorized to access the file; andproviding the first storage location to the client device for retrievingthe encrypted file for decryption by the file management applicationusing the first key.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:receiving the first key from the client device; receiving a request fromthe client device to access the file; and sending, to the client device,a version of the first key for decrypting the encrypted first file. 4.The method of claim 1, further comprising: sending a managementcomponent to the client device for installation, wherein the managementcomponent causes the first key to be deleted from the client deviceafter the encrypting.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:receiving, by the index server, a request to store a second file;identifying, by the index server, a second storage location unassociatedwith the cloud data storage provider; and providing the second storagelocation to the file management application, wherein the file managementapplication encrypts the second file based on a second key associatedwith the second storage location and sends the encrypted second file tosecond storage location using access credentials associated with thesecond storage location.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the secondstorage location is at the index server.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the wherein the file management application requests the firstkey for decrypting the encrypted file.
 8. A system of storing files thatare associated with a user account in at least one cloud data storageprovider, comprising: a non-transitory, computer-readable mediumcontaining instructions; and a processor device for an index server thatexecutes the instructions to perform stages comprising: receiving, bythe index server, a request to store a first file on behalf of a userassociated with access credentials of the user account, the requestbeing received from a client device executing a file managementapplication that communicates with the index server; identifying a firststorage location of the first file associated with a cloud data storageprovider that is different from the index server; and providing, by theindex server, the first storage location to the file managementapplication, the first storage location specifying where to send anencrypted version of the first file, the encryption being based on afirst key associated with the first storage location of the first file,the first key being different than the access credentials for the clouddata storage provider.
 9. The system of claim 8, the stages furthercomprising: receiving, at the index server, a request from the clientdevice to access the file; determining the client device is authorizedto access the file; and providing the first storage location to theclient device for retrieving the encrypted file for decryption by thefile management application using the first key.
 10. The system of claim8, the stages further comprising: receiving the first key from theclient device; receiving a request from the client device to access thefile; and sending, to the client device, a version of the first key fordecrypting the encrypted first file.
 11. The system of claim 8, thestages further comprising: sending a management component to the clientdevice for installation, wherein the management component causes thefirst key to be deleted from the client device after the encrypting. 12.The system of claim 8, the stages further comprising: receiving, by theindex server, a request to store a second file; identifying, by theindex server, a second storage location unassociated with the cloud datastorage provider; and providing the second storage location to the filemanagement application, wherein the file management application encryptsthe second file based on a second key associated with the second storagelocation and sends the encrypted second file to second storage locationusing access credentials associated with the second storage location.13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second storage location is atthe index server.
 14. The system of claim 8, wherein the wherein thefile management application requests the first key for decrypting theencrypted file.
 15. A non-transitory, computer-readable mediumcontaining instructions for storing files that are associated with auser account in at least one cloud data storage provider, theinstructions being executed by a processor device to perform stagescomprising: receiving, by the index server, a request to store a firstfile on behalf of a user associated with access credentials of the useraccount, the request being received from a client device executing afile management application that communicates with the index server;identifying a first storage location of the first file associated with acloud data storage provider that is different from the index server; andproviding, by the index server, the first storage location to the filemanagement application, the first storage location specifying where tosend an encrypted version of the first file, the encryption being basedon a first key associated with the first storage location of the firstfile, the first key being different than the access credentials for thecloud data storage provider.
 16. The non-transitory, computer-readablemedium of claim 15, the stages further comprising: receiving, at theindex server, a request from the client device to access the file;determining the client device is authorized to access the file; andproviding the first storage location to the client device for retrievingthe encrypted file for decryption by the file management applicationusing the first key.
 17. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium ofclaim 15, the stages further comprising: receiving the first key fromthe client device; receiving a request from the client device to accessthe file; and sending, to the client device, a version of the first keyfor decrypting the encrypted first file.
 18. The non-transitory,computer-readable medium of claim 15, the stages further comprising:sending a management component to the client device for installation,wherein the management component causes the first key to be deleted fromthe client device after the encrypting.
 19. The non-transitory,computer-readable medium of claim 15, the stages further comprising:receiving, by the index server, a request to store a second file;identifying, by the index server, a second storage location unassociatedwith the cloud data storage provider; and providing the second storagelocation to the file management application, wherein the file managementapplication encrypts the second file based on a second key associatedwith the second storage location and sends the encrypted second file tosecond storage location using access credentials associated with thesecond storage location.
 20. The non-transitory, computer-readablemedium of claim 19, wherein the second storage location is at the indexserver.